America's longest running Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue took place at the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas last week. Nearly 30 Mahayana Buddhists from Northern California and Oregon met with Catholics from the Archdiocese of San Francisco as well as Oakland, including participants from Los Angeles and Washington D.C.

We make the claim that it is the longest-running because this is the fifth annual gathering of a group that was initially intended to be built on relationships. The rationale is that dialogue goes deeper when the participants get beyond the superficial exchanges of politeness and misunderstandings, and reach a level of trust that can lead to insight and real sharing.

The dialogue has accomplished that goal, judging by the energy and enthusiasm of the participants to return year after year.

January 24, 2007Strict Vegan Ethics, Frosted With Hedonism
By JULIA MOSKIN
ISA CHANDRA MOSKOWITZ, a vegan chef, does not particularly like to talk about tofu. Ditto seitan, tempeh and nutritional yeast.

“I think vegan cooks need to learn to cook vegetables first,” she said
last week during a cupcake-baking marathon. “Then maybe they can be
allowed to move on to meat substitutes.”

If you know somebody suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's disease, this article from New Scientist.com will be meaningful to you. Learning and speaking more than one language can delay dementia's onset for up to four years.

Bilingualism delays onset of dementia
23:22 12 January 2007
NewScientist.com news service
New Scientist and Reuters

People who are fully bilingual and speak both languages every day for
most of their lives can delay the onset of dementia by up to four years
compared with those who only know one language, Canadian scientists
said on Friday.

Researchers said the extra effort involved in using more than one
language appeared to boost blood supply to the brain and ensure nerve
connections remained healthy – two factors thought to help fight off
dementia.

"We are pretty dazzled by the results," Professor Ellen Bialystok of Toronto's York University said in a statement.